
Star Capital buys Educom via DPH
Italian private equity house Star Capital has fully acquired Educom, a specialist in digital marketing for the pharmaceutical industry.
The GP bought the company from the founders in an all-equity deal valued at €5m, Unquote understands.
Educom will be owned by DPH - Doing Pharmaceutical Holding, a company established by Star Capital to pursue its buy-and-build strategy in the pharmaceutical sector. DPH already controls pharmaceutical sales and marketing specialist CSO Pharmitalia, following the acquisition of an 84% stake in the company made by Star Capital in October 2016.
To finance Educom’s acquisition, the GP deployed capital from its Star III fund, which held its final close on €87.7m in 2013. The firm typically invests €4–20m in growth and buyout transactions and targets Italian SMEs with turnover of €20-50m and EBITDA between €3-10m. In addition to Star III, the GP manages a €70m vehicle, Star Bridge Social Responsible Fund, which is now fully deployed.
Company
Established in 1991 and headquartered in Pontida, near Bergamo, Educom is a marketing and advertising agency with a special focus on the healthcare sector. The company specialises in strategic consulting, social pharmaceutical marketing and technological tools implementation. Its client base includes several pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Sandoz and Dompé.
People
Star Capital - Marco Gazzaniga (CEO).
Educom - Oscar Lambrughi (CEO).
Advisers
Acquirer – Russo De Rosa Associati (legal, tax).
Vendors – Cms Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni (legal); Srg Associati (tax).
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